Prophecy Friday

About 15 years ago I started reading the book of Revelation start to finish each week .

I would read it out loud so that I could

“hear “ it as well.
I did this because I saw in the very beginning of this book that there were three blessings.

Re:1:3: Blessed is he that readeth, and they that hear the words of this prophecy, and keep those things which are written therein: for the time is at hand.
　
I would come to see why God put those blessings in the beginning of Revelation , because many times as you grow in your understanding you become a “target” if you will for some interesting skirmishes in the spiritual realm ….more of that at another time ….

Sidebar ( For a good foundational understanding on the spiritual realm/warfare/understanding , check out the series on Spiritual Visitors @ Faded Ladies Rose and Deb’s Blog there is a link in the Blogs I follow)

So with this understanding I set off to reading through the book of Revelation each week at least once a week in it’s entirety. From the time the Holy Spirit began to woo me to the foot of the cross late 1970’s until the time I began investigating God‘s word for myself , I read a lot of books on prophecy……

Most all of Hal Lindsey’s books, Jack Van Impe, Books And Tapes, Peter and Paul Lalonde’s most all of everything they produced. I read Dave Hunt’s book….a bit of a “read’ Unless you’re a biblical scholar doing a paper on Church history , for me anyway.

Grant Jeffrey Books were also on my list of reads as well as all the fictional “prophecy” books, Left Behind series, Frank Peretti and such.

I remember as a young girl in church , the excitement that stirred in me when Pastor Wibley announced that we were going to have a prophecy expert come to the church . It was early 1981 or 82 . Evangelist Halsberg came with a chart that stretched from one end of the platform to the other.

I sat fascinated to hear Brother Halsberg tell us something new about the coming of the Lord ….. A three day seminar beginning Friday evening and concluding Sunday night.

I went away Sunday night with all the material he had brought with him to be purchased in the back at the tables …..But not with any new understanding to what I had been taught already. Which was basically the following :

1) there is a 7 year tribulation period.
2) Before the beginning of this tribulation period we would be raptured and take ‘out of the way”
3) You’d better be ready to meet Jesus before all hell broke loose on this earth or you’d be left behind.
4) all events that happened after the rapture we do not have to worry about because we are at the marriage supper of the lamb. Waiting to return with Him at Armageddon to destroy the Antichrist and bind satan for 1000 years.

So there it was ….I believed it , just like almost most everyone in my denomination and everyone in our church and my friends that were Christians, My Mom , My Aunt who lead me to the Lord. Many , many pastors and teachers we had come to know through the years.

I was in good company. Surely many of them knew better then me. I was fine with my position for several years , until God’s Word unsettled my accepted position. ................

Hugs & Prayers, GG